Matatus
14-seat matatus on intercity routes, booked seat by seat just like a bus.
Buses · Matatus · Shuttles across Kenya
Your journey starts with a better way to book.
Compare departures from participating Bus Companies, choose your seat and pay with M-Pesa — all in one place.
Search is free and needs no account. Explore routes
Compare Bus Companies
Every participating Bus Company's departures on your route, side by side.
Choose your seat
Pick from the vehicle's seat map. Your seats are held while you pay.
Pay with M-Pesa
Approve the prompt on your phone. The full price is shown first.
Ticket on your phone
Saved in My trips, and kept on your phone for when the signal drops.
How it works
From search to boarding in five steps.
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Search your journey
Choose where you are leaving from, where you are going, the date and how many are travelling. No account needed.
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Compare your options
Every participating Bus Company's departures, side by side: times, boarding point, seats left, luggage allowance, ratings and the full price.
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Choose your seat
Sign in with your phone number, then pick your seats on the vehicle's seat map. They are held for you while you finish.
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Pay with M-Pesa
Add each passenger's name, approve the M-Pesa prompt on your phone, and watch the confirmation arrive.
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Travel with your ticket
Your ticket is in My trips, saved on your phone. Show the conductor your reference at the boarding point.
Screens from the Masafa passenger app. Bus Companies, fares and seats shown are sample data.
Ways to travel
Matatu, bus or shuttle — and parcels too.
Buses and coaches
Long-distance buses and coaches, in economy or business class where the Bus Company offers it.
Shuttle cabs
Smaller shuttles on the routes where a Bus Company runs them.
Parcels and luggage
Send a parcel office to office, and see each Bus Company's luggage allowance before you book.
Parcels and luggageWhy one place
Stop starting over at every booking office.
Masafa is where participating Bus Companies sell their seats, so one search shows you what they offer on your route — and the seat you book is the one on the conductor's list.
Booking company by company
With Masafa
Calling or visiting each company's office separately
One search across every participating Bus Company on the route
Comparing times and prices from memory
Times, seats left, luggage allowance and full price side by side
Not knowing if a seat is free until you reach the stage
A seat map, and your seats held before you pay
A paper receipt that is easy to lose
Your ticket in My trips, saved on your phone
Built for trust
Your seat is yours. Your money is accounted for.
Your seat is held before you pay
Seats are claimed for you before your money is asked for. If the hold runs out, they are released and nothing is charged.
One seat, one passenger
Online, at the counter and on the conductor's list, it is the same seat. It cannot be sold twice.
Pending is never “failed”
While M-Pesa is still confirming, you see that it is confirming — and a clear warning not to pay again.
Refunds to the number that paid
See the refund before you cancel. If the Bus Company cancels, everything comes back, booking fee included.
Already booked? Your journey details are within reach.
Sign in with the number you booked with to see your ticket, cancel, rate your trip or report a problem.
Sending something? Let it ride with a Bus Company.
Get a price without signing in, drop it at the office, and the receiver collects with a code. Anyone can track it with the waybill number.
Questions
Good to know before you go.
Short answers to what passengers ask most.
All questions and helpDo I need an account to search?
No. Anyone can search and compare. When you choose a departure, you sign in with your mobile number and a one-time code. There is no separate registration — your number is your account.
Can I compare fares from different Bus Companies?
Yes. Results list every participating Bus Company's departures on your route, with the departure and estimated arrival time, boarding point, vehicle and class, seats left, luggage allowance and the full price. Filter by Bus Company, vehicle, class or time of day, and read ratings left by passengers who travelled.
Only Bus Companies that sell on Masafa appear, so not every operator on a route is listed.
How do I pay?
With M-Pesa. You get a payment prompt on your phone and confirm it with your M-Pesa PIN. The price you approve is the fare plus a KES 20 booking fee per seat, both shown before you pay.
If confirmation takes a while, the app keeps checking and tells you not to pay again. It never shows a payment as failed while the outcome is still unknown.
Where do I find my ticket?
In the app, under My trips. Your ticket shows the booking reference, passenger names, seats, Bus Company, boarding point, departure time and the vehicle's registration. A copy stays on your phone for when you lose signal, and you can print it.
How do I cancel, and what is refunded?
Cancel from My trips. Before you confirm, you see exactly how much will be refunded; the amount depends on how long before departure you cancel. Refunds go back to the M-Pesa number that paid.
If the Bus Company cancels the trip, you get everything back, including the booking fee. To travel on another day, cancel and book the new departure.
How much luggage can I bring?
Each Bus Company sets its own free allowance, and you see it on the results before you book. Anything over the allowance is paid at check-in; the price of your booking does not change.
Ready for your next journey?
Find your route, compare the options, and book with Masafa.